As a resident, a foreigner becomes subject to Spanish income tax laws. Further information may be obtained from the nearest Consulate of Spain in the United States and/or the Passport Office, U.S. Department of State, 1425 K St., N.W., Washington, D. C. 20524 or its nearest regional office. Foreign Exchange Regulations There are no restrictions on the amount of dollars which may be brought into Spain, but the law requires that all foreign exchange be declared at the frontier. Visitors leaving Spain may depart with no more foreign currency than the amount which they declared on entry and no more than 3,000 pesetas in Spanish currency. Currency. The basic monetary unit of Spain is the peseta, composed of 100 centimos. As of February 1973, its central rate in terms of the U.S. dollar is 1.72335 cents (U.S. $1.00 = 58.0263 pesetas). Banknotes are issued in denominations of 1,000,500, and 100 pesetas; and coins in 100, 50, 25, 5, 2.5, and 1 pesetas; and 50, 10, and 5 centimos. Business Etiquett.-Spain's traditional courtesy and hospitality apply to business relations. It is customary to entertain only intimate friends in the home. On the other hand, many public places of entertainment are located in the larger cities and business visitors should be prepared to reciprocate the courtesies accorded to them. Commercial Language.-Spanish is the commercial language, although Catalan is used extensively in the Barcelona area. The importance of having trade literature, catalogs and instructions for the use and servicing of products printed in Spanish cannot be overemphasized. Business cards should be printed in both English and Spanish. Many large commercial houses however, conduct correspondence in English or French in addition to Spanish. Communications.-Airmail to and from the United States usually takes between 3 and 4 days. Regular surface mail requires from 3 to 4 weeks. The regular parcel post facilities existing between Spain and the United States are not entirely satisfactory. Considerable delays may occur after a package arrives at a Spanish post office for customs inspection and handling. Local telephone and telegraph service within Spain is good, and rates are reasonable. Long distance telephone and cable service from Spain to the United States and elsewhere is also very good. Business Hours.-The legal national work week is 48 hours and constitutes six 8-hour days. The trend is toward a reduction of the work week which now averages about 44 hours. Busines hours are generally from 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. with a 2 hour lunchbreak from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Businesses are closed on Sunday. Spanish standard time is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time. Holidays. All businesses are closed on the following holidays: January 1 (New Year's), January 6 (Epiphany), March 19 (St. Joseph's Day), Maundy Thursday, after 2 p.m., Good Friday, May 1 (Labor Day), Ascension (40 days after Easter); Corpus Christi (three weeks after Ascension), June 29 (SS Peter and Paul), July 18 (National Day), July 25 (St. James Day), August 15 (Assumption), October 1 (Day of the Caudillo) only Government offices close, October 12 (Columbus Day), November 1 (All Saints Day), December 8 (Immaculate Conception), December 25 (Christmas). Local holidays include May 15 (San Isidro), celebrated in Madrid only. The following holidays are celebrated in Barcelona only: Easter Monday, June 24 (St. John the Baptist), September 24 (Our Lady of Mercy), and December 26 (St. Stephen's Day). June 19 (Liberation Day) and July 31 (St. Ignatius Day) are holidays in Bilbao. Besides the Spanish legal holidays, many businesses observe other local holidays and feast days. System of Weights and Measures.-The metric system is used in Spain and should be used, if at all possible, in every quotation where measurement or weight is involved. Electric Current.-AC 50 cycle, one or three phase, and nominal voltage is 127/220 and 220/380. Most outlets for ordinary current are European (Tubular prong) type and require an adapter. Transformers may also be needed. Legal Services. --Lists of Spanish attorneys are available from the Office of Special Consular Services, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520. A good summary of Spanish civil law can be found in the Martindale-Hubbel Law Directory. Interpreters. -Interpreters are usually available for hire on an hourly or daily basis in Spain's larger cities. Names of reputable organizations can be obtained from the American Embassy and Consulates in Spain. Employment in Spain The prospects for employment of foreigners in Spain are generally not encouraging. All foreigners who intend to work in Spain either in a selfemployed capacity or as an employee must obtain a work identification card (Tarjeta de Identidad Professional) from the Ministry of Labor. Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to a fine. Applications for work cards must be made by the employer under whose orders the foreigner expects to work. Foreigners who wish to work for their own account must present their own applications. In case they are starting a new business, they must also obtain a certificate from the Provincial tax office. In case of managerial posts, the foreigner must present a certification of his position issued by the board of directors of the firm. Further details on regulations affecting the employment of foreigners may be found in OBR 72-052 Establishing a Business in Spain. U.S. Flag Steamship Lines Serving Spain (Atlantic Coast unless otherwise specified) American Export Lines, Inc. New York, N.Y. 10004 New York, N. Y. 10005 Atlantic Line 17 Battery Place New York, N. Y. 10004 Constellation Navigation, Inc. 327 South LaSalle St. Chicago, Ill. 60604 (Great Lakes only) Dart Containerline, Inc. 30 Church Street New York, N. Y. 10007 East Coast Overseas Corp. 80 Broad Street New York, N. Y. 10004 Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc. P.O. Box 50998 New Orleans, La. 70150 (Atlantic & Gulf) Prudential Grace Lines One New York Plaza New York, N. Y. 10004 Sealand Services, Inc. One World Trade Center New York, N. Y. 10048 Seatrain Lines, Inc. 25 Broadway New York, N. Y. 10004 States Marine Lines 90 Broad Street New York, N.Y. 10004 (Atlantic & Gulf) Bibliography These U.S. Department of Commerce publications are available from: Sales and Distribution Branch, Office of Administrative Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C. 20230, or from any of the Department of Commerce District Offices. Foreign Trade Regulations of Spain, OBR 72-24. Other useful publications are as follows: Estadistica del Comercio Exterior de Espana, Tax and Trade Guide -Spain, Arthur Andersen & Co., 1972. Information Guide for Doing Business in Spain, Price Waterhouse & Co., 1969. Media Information-Spain, J. Walter Thompson Co., 1971. Las 100 Grandes Empresas Industriales Espanoles en 1970, Ministerio de Industria, Madrid, 1971. Martindale-Hubbel Law Directory. |